Trump’s State of the Union Carnival Meets Pelosi’s Speech-Ripping

Plus: Buttigieg and Sanders’s reasons to celebrate; the Bloomberg superfan; and putting Elena Ferrante on stage. View in browser | Update your preferences Daily Comment Trump’s State of the Union Carnival Meets Pelosi’s Speech-Ripping The speech was a timely reminder for Democrats, as they head into the campaign, that as a showman Trump is not incompetent. But then neither is Nancy Pelosi. By Amy Davidson Sorkin Our Columnists Buttigieg and Sanders Both Have Reasons To Celebrate The two candidates separated themselves from the rest of the field, but the partial Iowa results signal that a hard-fought Democratic primary lies ahead. By John Cassidy Our Columnists The Iowa Caucuses and the Menace of Election Technology The chaos that delayed the release of results, caused by a malfunctioning app, points to an important lesson about the country’s voting systems. By Sue Halpern Campaign Chronicles Does the Bloomberg Superfan Exist? “That was the most low-key campaign speech I’ve ever heard,” an observer of one of the candidate’s speeches in California said. “I expected to see a politician. I saw a businessman.” By Lizzie Widdicombe PAID POST New from the beloved film star and best-selling author of Then Again. In this beautiful, fearless memoir—intertwined with journal entries, letters, poetry, and personal photographs—Diane Keaton contemplates love and loss, art and mental illness, and the incomparable bond between siblings. “As quirky and affecting as her on-screen personas.”—O Magazine Culture and More Culture Desk Putting Elena Ferrante on the Stage April De Angelis’s adaptation of the Neapolitan novels is shot through with surrealist breaks from reality, in which the characters’ fears and imaginings take over the stage. By Anna Russell Postscript The Seriousness of George Steiner At a time when most critical writers in the academy sought to be entertainingly obscure, Steiner instead aimed to be earnest and enlightening. By Adam Gopnik Culture Desk Oscars 2020 Spotlight: The Actors It’s the rare year in which the men’s races feel juicier than the women’s. By Michael Schulman Culture Desk The Playful Propaganda of “The History of Ukraine” The video is post-Soviet “Schoolhouse Rock!” for digital natives. By Sophie Pinkham Humor from The New Yorker Daily Shouts Aesop’s Fables Written After a Bad Breakup The sparrow knew one thing for certain—she was definitely going to tweet about this. By Riane Konc Daily Cartoon Wednesday, February 5th By Jason Adam Katzenstein Sign up for more newsletters from The New Yorker. Visit The New Yorker shop. Question about your subscription? Contact Customer Care. New Yorker digital subscribers get unlimited access to everything on newyorker.com. Log in to your account here. We’d love your feedback on this newsletter. Please send your thoughts and suggestions to TNYinbox@newyorker.com. This e-mail was sent to you by The New Yorker. To ensure delivery to your inbox (not bulk or junk folders), please add our e-mail address, NewYorker@newsletters.newyorker.com, to your address book. View our Privacy Policy Unsubscribe Copyright © Condé Nast 2020. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved.